New Delhi: As Indian youngsters continued to make India proud at the Davis cup, the All India Tennnis Association (AITA) shocked the tennis fraternity by imposing a two-year ban on Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna on Saturday, as per reports.

Reports say that they will not be eligible for selection to represent the country in any capacity over the next two years.

Earlier in the day, AITA said it will stick to the young Indian side and will not include Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna in the Davis Cup squad until the country moves up from the Asia/Oceania Group.

The young guns have given India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the relegation play-off tie against New Zealand and the national federation wants them to carry forward the good work in the 2013 season when India will strive to re-enter World Group.

Bhupathi has already come up with an angry reaction on the Twitter. 'The cranky old grand fathers on the executive committee, who have never played tennis waiting for a reaction? There is one coming.stay tuned!,' tweeted the veteran

I don't know whats more disturbing, the fact that they were banned for refusing to partner Paes when they were an established team with a good relationship or the fact that the people commenting on the articles comment page all seem to fully support the decision.

Seriously players have the right to say they do not want to partner with someone, India could have said no to them going to the Olympics but they did not...they were fielded. This to me sounds like India punishing them for taking a stand for themselves then losing
I doubt if they had medaled at the Olympics that they would have been banned. Paes comes out of this looking like a tragic hero to.

I don't know whats more disturbing, the fact that they were banned for refusing to partner Paes when they were an established team with a good relationship or the fact that the people commenting on the articles comment page all seem to fully support the decision.

Seriously players have the right to say they do not want to partner with someone, India could have said no to them going to the Olympics but they did not...they were fielded. This to me sounds like India punishing them for taking a stand for themselves then losing
I doubt if they had medaled at the Olympics that they would have been banned. Paes comes out of this looking like a tragic hero to.

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Couldn't agree more. Bhupathy is anyway old and can't possibly carry on till 2014. But it's illustrative of the shenanigans in Indian sport -- bunch of clueless politicians run the sport with the sole interest of mooching off govt. resources. Players get dinged.

Wrt the bolded -- this is inspite of having his way and getting to partner Sania and losing in the second round of the OG.

This sucks to be honest.I stay calm,but there's a fire raging inside me.Our retarded political set up has made another scape goat out of bhupati and boppana.I think AITA should be de-recognised with an immediate effect.Bunch of morons are running tennis here who knows nothing about tennis..
Sorry this is off topic..We should make a tougher law for corruption and any one found guily should be SHOT,they deserve no less than CAPITAL punishment.KILL THEM!!..

This sucks to be honest.I stay calm,but there's a fire raging inside me.Our retarded political set up has made another scape goat out of bhupati and boppana.I think AITA should be de-recognised with an immediate effect.Bunch of morons are running tennis here who knows nothing about tennis..
Sorry this is off topic..We should make a tougher law for corruption and any one found guily should be SHOT,they deserve no less than CAPITAL punishment.KILL THEM!!..

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Politics in India is far more corrupt than America, Canada :lol:, any country not in war!

Possibly why my parents are more interested what going on there than Canadian politics.

You guys just need a sucessful tennis era.....like the Amritaj era. Maybe change will happen through more spotlight.

Tennis India showed they have no interest in winning Olympic medals, now they have showed that they have no interest in winning a DC tie. They cut off their noses to spite their faces. They lost.

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No, Tennis India showed that they are no longer going to play childish games. It all stems from Bhupathi's sophomoric jealousy of Paes, who's had the much better career. Both Bhupathi and Bopanna refused to play with Paes in the Olympics--a decision that left both the Indian doubles teams (their only shot at a medal) with early round losses and no medal. Tennis India put their foot down--I applaud Tennis India's stand on this. In the end it's Bhupathi just looks foolish...

No, Tennis India showed that they are no longer going to play childish games. It all stems from Bhupathi's sophomoric jealousy of Paes, who's had the much better career. Both Bhupathi and Bopanna refused to play with Paes in the Olympics--a decision that left both the Indian doubles teams (their only shot at a medal) with early round losses and no medal. Tennis India put their foot down--I applaud Tennis India's stand on this. In the end it's Bhupathi just looks foolish...

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Bopanna seems to be the loser at present since Paes has Stepanek, and Bhupathi has Nestor.

WHAT....how could you Nestor! Now I have to cheer for Bhupathi. Nestor should have gone with Paes.....would be my fav combination.

Quershi to stay with Bopanna till the next Olympics.

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I love the Paes-Radek combo. always liked Radek.

Where did you hear about Q and Bopanna ? Or are you just speculating ? I read they will meet in Japan and talk it over.

No, Tennis India showed that they are no longer going to play childish games. It all stems from Bhupathi's sophomoric jealousy of Paes, who's had the much better career. Both Bhupathi and Bopanna refused to play with Paes in the Olympics--a decision that left both the Indian doubles teams (their only shot at a medal) with early round losses and no medal. Tennis India put their foot down--I applaud Tennis India's stand on this. In the end it's Bhupathi just looks foolish...

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Paes got what he wanted -- partnering with Sania. Did he win a medal ?

Paes and Bhupathi partnered thrice for the OG, when they were younger and fitter -- they ended up with diddly squat.

Fact is, mixed doubles was our only chance. With the men's doubles no matter what combo we didn't have a chance for a medal.

No, Tennis India showed that they are no longer going to play childish games. It all stems from Bhupathi's sophomoric jealousy of Paes, who's had the much better career. Both Bhupathi and Bopanna refused to play with Paes in the Olympics--a decision that left both the Indian doubles teams (their only shot at a medal) with early round losses and no medal. Tennis India put their foot down--I applaud Tennis India's stand on this. In the end it's Bhupathi just looks foolish...

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It's their wish whom they want to play with. AITA is filled with a bunch of nut jobs

No, Tennis India showed that they are no longer going to play childish games. It all stems from Bhupathi's sophomoric jealousy of Paes, who's had the much better career. Both Bhupathi and Bopanna refused to play with Paes in the Olympics--a decision that left both the Indian doubles teams (their only shot at a medal) with early round losses and no medal. Tennis India put their foot down--I applaud Tennis India's stand on this. In the end it's Bhupathi just looks foolish...

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I would agree with you if the AITA had an otherwise good record. But these are the people who have always played politics and treated Sania like bait in the recent episode. So it is difficult to have any respect for them. I think Bhupathi and Paes have achieved a lot on their own and at this time in their career they should be allowed to decide whom to play with.

Mahesh Bhupathi said he is considering taking legal action against the All Indian Tennis Association (AITA), which has imposed a two-year ban from Davis Cup on himself and fellow countryman Rohan Bopanna for refusing to partner with Leander Paes at the Olympics.

"Rohan has played for India for 10 years and I have played now for about 18 years now. And to get slapped with something like this, I take this as rough," Bhupathi told reporters. “We are exploring it, we don't know yet but I don't think what they have done and the way they have done it is fully legal. So we are exploring if what they have done is right and obviously if not legal, we are gonna go after it."

Bhupathi added that he thought that AITA action was because of a personal vendetta.

"It's been going on with me and association and heads of the federation for years now. I am just upset and afraid that my friend and partner Rohan has got caught in the middle of this dirty game,” he said.

The 38-year-old, the first Indian to win a Grand Slam title -- when he partnered Japan's [ Images ] Rika Hiraki to win the mixed doubles at the French Open [ Images ] in 1997 -- announced he will hang up his racket at the end of next year.

"Next year will definitely be my last year on court," admitted Bhupathi, in Mumbai [ Images ], on Tuesday.

"I am at the end of my career," he continued, adding, "I am not even sure if I will play the whole schedule."

All Indian Tennis Association (AITA) chief Anil Khanna on Saturday threatened to take appropriate action against Mahesh Bhupathi for making false allegations of wrongdoing and corruption against the country`s tennis body.

Reacting to the graft charges leveled against him by Bhupathi, Khanna said this had been done with an ulterior motive.

Bhupathi on Tuesday had slammed the AITA for hampering tennis` growth in the country. He had also said Khanna was enjoying the public rift between him and Leander Paes.

"Leander and Mahesh are not children. They knew what was happening in the run-up to the (July-August) London Olympics. Mahesh needs to look through his heart. The allegations are totally false and motivated and are made with an ulterior motive. I will take appropriate action against Mahesh," Khanna was quoted as saying in an interview to a news channel.

Khanna`s comments came on a day when the Karnataka High Court stayed the AITA`s two-year ban on Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna for refusing to partner Paes at the Olympics.

The Karnataka High Court on Saturday stayed the decision of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) not to consider tennis players Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna to represent India till the end of June 2014.

Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar passed the interim order during the hearing on the petitions filed by Mr. Bhupathi and Mr. Bopanna challenging the September 13 decision of the AITA’s Ethics Committee, which was approved by the Executive Committee on September 15.

The court has also ordered issue of notices to the AITA and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

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“However, no action has been taken against Mr. Paes, who was the only one of the three players, including the petitioners, who threatened the AITA with withdrawal from the Olympics if his wish to be paired with either of the petitioners was not acceded to and made this decision known to the AITA in writing,” they have stated.

Bhupathi has already come up with an angry reaction on the Twitter. 'The cranky old grand fathers on the executive committee, who have never played tennis waiting for a reaction? There is one coming.stay tuned!,' tweeted the veteran

Rohan Bopanna's plans to partner Pakistan's Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi for the 2013 season have come to nought with the latter turning down his offer to pair up. Qureshi, who is playing the Japan Open this week, confirmed to The Indian Express that he will continue to play next year with his Dutch partner Jean-Julien Roger.

Mahesh Bhupathi, whom Bopanna partnered this season in order to prepare for the Olympics, would play with Canadian Daniel Nestor for the upcoming season after which he had announced he would retire. Bopanna had his worst year (win-loss of 20-24) in three seasons in 2012 with Bhupathi, and was looking for a more successful and long term partnership with former partner Aisam.

But despite having had his best career result — reaching the final of the 2010 US Open — with the Indian, Qureshi, who is higher ranked at 12, did not want to go down that road again. Bopanna had won his first Masters title had also made the World Tour final with Aisam but had called off the partnership abruptly last year to prepare for the London Games.

The decision to split for the entire year and not just in the run-up to the Olympics had come as a shock to Qureshi. When Bopanna approached him this time around, Qureshi, who was then in Pakistan after playing the US Open, said he would consult his coach Robert Davis and partner Roger, before taking a call.

"If Roger feels we are going great, I wouldn't want to disturb the set-up. If he's happy with me and we have the same goals for next year and my coach feels we will suit each other better in the season to come, I will have little reason to switch.